Larry Fonacier. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Larry Fonacier turned back the clock and looked like the gunslinger of old as he shot NLEX out of danger en route to a 103-100 stunner over San Miguel Beer in the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup on Sunday.
With the Road Warriors engaged in a tight battle in the last two minutes, the 35-year-old first struck at the 1:46 mark for the go-ahead triple to push the Road Warriors up, 98-95.
He doubled down a minute after, puncturing the dagger three from the top of the arc off a JR Quiñahan pass with 23.9 seconds left to give his side a comfortable 101-97 edge that took the air out of the Beermen.
“Larry was vintage from eight years ago,” said ROS coach Yeng Guiao, who acquired the veteran marksman via trade late in the 2017 Commissioner’s Cup.
However, Fonacier said that the big shots he had wouldn’t be possible if not for Guiao, the same coach who bestowed much belief on him back when he was still an upstart in the league coming out of Ateneo.
“He started it all. I give credit to him. He helped me to have strong will in this league. He’s trained me to be ready for those moments and I thank him for the tough love while we’re still at Red Bull,” he said.
It also helps that he’s playing alongside players who are no stranger to Guiao’s system like Quiñahan and Cyrus Baguio, as they all give NLEX the much-needed veteran presence.
Fonacier thinks the Road Warriors’ win over the Grand Slam-seeking Beermen is a sign that they can compete against any team in the league.
“It means that we’re on the right track of being able to compete at a high level this conference. We’re almost on our goal of making it to the semis. We’re an inch closer to that and we don’t want to relax. We don’t want any meltdown like in our previous game,” he said.